On day three of Small Charities Week we chat to one of our volunteers about their experience at LADPP and ask him why small charities are so important!

Stephen Ayres - Fundraising Volunteer

Stephen has been volunteering two days a week at LADPP since September 2013 while studying for his History degree at University College London. Last week was his last week as a volunteer as he is now ready to start his teacher training on the Teach First programme. We would like to thank him for his support and commitment to the project over the last year and wish him all the best for the future!

What have you been doing at LADPP?

I’ve been working with Jhon (the Project Manager) as part of the fundraising team. Obviously small charities find it very hard to raise funds so we work alongside each other to write applications to grant funders. It’s pretty simple really, we have to write as many good and relevant applications we can and hope that we are successful! Our budget is a certain amount each year so that’s what we’re trying to hit this year and it’s just a case of plugging away until we reach that target really.

Why do you think small charities are important?

Because I think they can deliver services in a much more personal way than large charities or government. I think LADPP is a prime example, it’s a charity but a lot of people might not realise it is a good cause. It sounds like a very niche organisation but once you realise that there is a large community with specific needs I think a small charity is the best to deal with those needs because of the expertise of the workers there. They can help people in a more human and empathetic way and can build relationships with clients and service users in a way that large national charity may not be able to do.

What has been your best moment at LADPP?

Well in terms of an individual moment, getting the grant from Southwark Council renewed the funding of one of our staff for another year and that’s obviously a great feeling to know people will continue to be in work and can carry on delivering important services. I think in general I’ve been working alongside great people and met a fantastic range of people from all over the planet and all over the spectrum of diverse personalities and skills. It’s been a fantastic experience all in all.